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What You Need to Know About Elder Abuse

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It is estimated that over 132,000 elders in California are abused every year but the number is probably much higher as for every abuse reported, at least 5 others go unreported.

Although elder abuse is more prevalent in community settings where over 90% of elders live, abuse is a daily reality in nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly. Even with federal and state oversight, the federal General Accounting Office found in 1998 that 1 of 3 nursing homes in California was cited for serious or potentially life threatening problems. In 1999, the U.S. Congress's Committee on Government Reform reported that only 1 of 439 nursing homes in Los Angeles County met all the minimum standards for care. Congressional studies in the Bay Area and in Santa Barbara showed similar results. These official reports documented that residents are not being helped to eat or drink; not being kept dry and clean; not being repositioned to prevent pressure sores; not being monitored for the development of urinary tract infections; and not being  given pain medication when needed.

In July of 2001, the Congressional Special Investigations Division found that 35% of nursing homes in the United States were cited for more than 10,000 instances of abuse over a two-year period.  In some cases, facility staff members were accused of committing physical or sexual abuse on the residents, and in other instances, staff were cited for failing to protect residents from abuse by other residents.

The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) published a report in March 2002 entitled "Nursing Homes: More Can Be Done to Protect Residents from Abuse." The report cited the lack of protections afforded nursing home residents experiencing abuse. In addition to the problem of not reporting abuse, the study found that when abuse reports were made that they were delayed and frequently not reported to law enforcement. The licensing agency issued few citations and fines for abuse, for the failure to report or for the delays in reporting. Prosecution of abusers is rare. Finally, there is no effective system to collect data on abusers that can be used to screen prospective employees of nursing homes.